"Blacken the sky Can't stand to see the sun The truth of light Reveals the hatred that has won" – I Saw The End by Pallbearer

Monthly Archives: November 2015

Outer space is unknown, and as much as we explore and discover there may be no way to know what is really out there for certain. There are bands that try to apply that same knowledge to their music and Alien Syndrome 777 is one of those bands. The difference is, is Alien Syndrome 777 really make you feel isolated and alone in a darkened abyss. Outer is the new release from the international black metal band which displays seven songs of cold and bone shattering black metal.

Black metal is a genre that tries to implement nature themes into their music as much as possible, but Alien Syndrome 777 implement a different type of nature into their music. What they inject into this sordid slab of blasphemy is something of the unknown. The alien experience is something that adds mystique, curiosity and intrigue to the album.

The ethos of Alien Syndrome 777 is pure blistering black metal, and even when coupled with the theme of aliens that never disappears. The burning and abyssal black metal is always there as it sears a scorching hole in the side of your head just like black metal should.

“Outer” is true black metal through and through no matter what it would be mixed with. The only difference of course is the fact that Alien Syndrome 777 mix in noises and synths that make you feel as though you’re being abducted.

Every song brings the same amount of intensity as the one before and Outer never quits steamrolling and barreling its way through your chest. Outer is blistering and slaughtering, and Alien Syndrome 777 does a great job in making you feel cold, isolated and eviscerated of your soul and sanity.

Alien Syndrome 777 mixes in odd noises and synths with their brand of black metal insanity as well to drive the point home that they are in fact an extra terrestrial band. The extra noises make you feel as though you are on a desolated space station, there’s nothing and no one around you. The ship keeps beeping at you in the freezing cold suffocating abyss. You end up hearing noises behind you and that noise is a behemoth of an alien ready to prey upon your flesh.

That alien is Alien Syndrome 777 and they do jump down your throat like a face huger. There are many ways that they assault you and make you feel small and alone. The riffs are calculated and sharp, the drums are chaotic and bludgeoning, the synths are dark and ominous and the vocals slit your throat and revel in the crimson glory.

Outer abducts you and brainwashes you to fight for their alien army. The album takes a hold of you with a dark intensity and has no intentions of letting you go. The seven track photon cannon titled Outer is exactly that. It’s devastating and punishing, and Alien Syndrome 777 has everything that makes a black metal band memorable and incinerating.

One blasphemous night Black Blood was born-whether the band remembers it or not-and this self titled release you’re reading about was born. That night, one of debauchery and blasphemy something incredibly groovy and completely headbanging was born. This self titled features thirteen undeniably catchy and hard rocking tracks that are sure to get you off your seat and make you move. Black Blood is stoner metal to the core, and debauchery is their game and they embody the metal name.

There is no denying that Black Blood are trying to break the mold of that generic stoner metal tag as they implement some thrash and blues into the mix as well. And whether they implement that or not there’s no denying that Black Blood is a stoner metal band.

Whichever tag anyone-including me-decides to put on them, their brand of music is infectious and just kicks you in the gut whether you’re ready for it or not. There’s something about the style of play that is so unapologetic and real and that really drives each song home.

Black Blood never tries to shy away from what they are and that helps them on this release. No matter what the tag, they mix in thrash and the occasional blues tone as well creating something of their own.

Each song is real and just as hard working and blue collar as the band that plays them. Real life struggles, perserverances, blood, sweat and tears come through each song. There’s emotion that runs throughout every song and that is very apparent listening to this self titled.

There’s no shortage of dirty, and down right gritty slap in the face riffs with this self titled release. Working themselves into the fold are soulful and sweet guitar solos that you can’t help but to air guitar to. The drumming is sound and pounds its way through your skull no matter how hard you fight it and the bass that backs every song is there to provide that extra crunch and punch in the gut. Over the top of the gritty bluesy and stoner metal riffs are smokey and forceful riffs that make themselves known and hook you right in and have you buy into the music.

No matter how much groove that Black Blood injects into their music, you simply can’t ignore the fact that that there are other aspects to their music that make it enjoyable. From the bluesy solos and the smokey vocals, to the sound drumming and the crunchy riffs, this self titled is enjoyable and a hard rocking album that’s hard not to get up and move to.

The self titled album will be released December 18th in Finland and January 22nd internationally next year through Inverse Records.

There’s nothing quite like adding a little bit of abyssal gloom to your day, and the people that are supplying it call themselves Battle Path. With their new release Ambedo, these American blackened doomsters plan on gravel dragging you through the rockiest most desolated place they can find. Ambedo is five songs of black metal crusted doom, and the combination of those two genres creates something that is grimy and abysmal. The album gives off an impression of isolation as well as desolation, whether that be isolation of the mind and desolation of the soul, that’s to be determined by you.

No matter which way you slice it Ambedo is as soul crushing as it gets. Each song is low, slow and completely crusty making you feel entirely sordid and filthy after just one listen.

Not only does Ambedo give off a certain evil about it, but with the mixture of synthesizers it gives off a melancholy feel as well. So not only do you feel assaulted by the general darkness and buzzing attrition around you, you then feel hopeless and isolated.

The majority of the album is played at a glacier slow pace only to give way to faster breaks here and there. Each song buzzes and rumbles enough to vibrate your brain right out of your skull.

Through the entirety of Ambedo there’s no taking a break or a breather as the music is completely suffocating. The only real break that you end up getting is when the synths kick in and take over and slow the song down even more to a sound that isn’t quite as bone jarring.

The riffs are a fuzz covered onslaught that are supplemented by a thick bass and ominous drumming. Wafting over each song are the synths that provide each song that extra touch of haunting mysticism. The vocals that pour out of the speakers lean more toward the black metal side of the spectrum as the vocalist screeches and screams throat ripping vocals.

Ambedo is dark and cold and Battle Path doesn’t work terribly hard to provide that type of atmosphere as it just seems to ooze from the band naturally. Whether you are a doom fan or a black metal fan, there is something here for you as Battle Path mixes both genres together very well to create their abyssal sound.

Progressive metal juggernauts Zierler just recently released ESC last month. Juggernaut is a pretty appropriate word to use when describing both Zierler and their new album. ESC is jam packed with eleven songs and the entire album reaches over the one hour mark. As long albums go, and especially with this one, there is a lot to let sink in and there is a lot of material that you need to listen to more than once to really get the feeling the full effect of ESC.

ESC is entirely dizzying since there are so many different working elements that you have to pay attention to all at one time. Each song moves swiftly yet very steady and even though the songs are definitely long they never make you feel fatigued at the end of each listen.

Zierler paint a vast soundscape with their music transporting your brain all over the vast world that they create with ESC. Zierler push the progressive envelope and never look back to apologize for either experimenting or just straight sounding how they sound.

You either accept the fact that this large chunk of progressive goodness is getting shoved down your throat, or you fight it and have it shoved down there anyway. The choice is yours, but the album does have a certain ability to trap you within it and become fixated on what is going to happen next in any one of the songs.

None of the songs sound similar which is refreshing. You get a different sound through every song which keeps your attention as well as keeps you entertained and not wanting to turn anything off. The way in which Zierler keep you engrossed is by sewing a lot of different musical elements together to create a heavy hitting yet approachable sound.

Through the heavy and technical riffage the obese bass and the category 5 hurricane style drumming, Zierler inject wonderful sounding synths to compliment the heavier side of things as well as move the story along. The synths never over power anything. As a matter of fact they enhance the music and create a sense of wonderment and awe.

Pouring over the impeccable musicianship are soulful and honey sweet cleans. Once in a blue moon throughout the album, those cleans give way to a scream but those screams never last long at all. Through ESC the vocals are powerful and moving.

After a few listens and after letting everything sink in for a moment, ESC grows on you and one listen turns into many and after a while you may even catch yourself singing along to the music. With ESC, Zierler create beautiful compositions that are sure to speak to many as this listen is one that makes you rock out as well as just feel good overall. There is something in this release for everyone, and given one or two listens you more than likely will find your gem.

Hailing from Australia is Dark Symphonica and they bring to you their newest release which was unleashed at the very beginning of November. Immersion is a seven track symphonic metal behemoth that spans almost an hour. Who really needs movies when you have an album that is almost an hour long and weaves tales that are just as good if not better? Through Immersion you really do become immersed and submerged in the world that Dark Symphonica has created.

With an album that is this long, Dark Symphonica does a great job of keeping the listener intrigued and engrossed in what is happening. there is a lot that can be said about a band that keeps someone’s attention past five seconds. And with all of the moving pieces and with their songs that sound like fairy tales, Dark Symphonica lays out whimsical and entertaining soundscapes.

Instead of beginning songs with a sonic blast of ramming metal, Dark Symphonica begin with atmospheric pieces that in turn melt into gripping and sonic metal. The symphonies mix very well with the heavier metal elements as neither the symphonies nor the metal over shadow one or the other.

Each song brings dual personalities to the table. At points you succumb to honey sweet melodies and smooth symphonies and at other points you have no choice but to headbang and completely rock out.

With both of those elements at play, Dark Symphonica gives you great diversity and variation with each song. Immersion is almost like a story book (or at least it is to me) that is the kind of feeling you get when listening to these compositions.

The reason for that feeling is because all in one song you get everything that you would when reading a book. You get the sweet melodious intros, the heavy and hard hitting story line, the climax of the song where the band breaks down into heavier bludgeoning riffs, then you get the end which is more symphonic and soft than the larger mid section of the song.

The musicianship throughout is solid and well executed. You get thunderous drumming, acrobatic and dizzying guitar work, a heavy rhythmic bass and sweet soaring angelic cleans from the vocalist. The album feels whole and cohesive and each song feeds off one another.

From beginning to end Immersion is a wonderous listen, one that makes you headbang just as much as it gets you lost in the Dark Symphonica wonderland. This album is for any symphonic metal fan, and would sit pretty next to your Epica albums.

Orationem is a black metal band that plays in the traditional sense. What isn’t traditional however is the fact that they are a religious black metal band. Being a religious black metal band is almost the same as being a P.C. death metal band. However, no matter whether the band is religious or not that doesn’t take away from the fact that the music is solid itself. And maybe a lot of you won’t want to listen since it is religious black metal, and that’s fine, but that doesn’t detract anything from the music at hand.

There is quite a bit of variation on this album as Orationem transitions between that fast paced blistering black metal and a more mid tempo style. No matter which style Orationem dials up, the music is still scorching and well executed.

As mentioned Orationem play in the traditional sense of black metal. That style suites their music very well as it has that old gritty feeling and a certain haunting aspect about it.

That throwback black metal sound further pushes this album and drives their message home. No matter what the message is, the music still sounds disparaging and isolating just as black metal should.

There are melting melodies of molten madness as savage riffs pummel and writhe. The drums are chaotic and tumultuous and a thick bass provides a great back bone for each song. Each of those instruments create an atmosphere that is oddly uplifting as well as dismal at the same time.

Orationem does a good job of creating traditional sounds with a very unorthodox message especially in black metal. Mixing something as blasphemous as black metal with something as holy as religion is a gutsy call but Orationem makes it work. Overall the album is exactly what black metal should sound like. It is savage in parts only to be slowed down to create a more melancholy atmosphere at times, but overall this album is purely black metal.

Hornwood Fell is a band that answers the call when asked about how black metal can be contemporary and relevant now in a dense genre. Hornwood Fell combine styles of traditional Norwegian black metal as well as newer even progressive elements. With both of those combined, Hornwood Fell release their second full length titled Yheri. Yheri is an eight track album that takes you through dense and bleak soundscapes, painting pictures of dismal cold and sanity breaking isolation.

Not only do they break your will with a powerful and technical onslaught of visceral black metal, but they sew in some other interesting elements as well that elevate Yheri into a more refined and progressive state of mind.

Through the album you experience the typical thick poison fog of bleak black metal. On the other side of the token you get elements of atmosphere and even clean singing at points.

Now again, a lot of you probably read “clean singing” and dismiss it immediately but that is one of the last things that should happen. The clean singing that is injected into each song is sparse and when it does make an appearance it adds an almost haunting feeling. There are a lot of different aspects that are at play within Yheri to create such a sound, and there are a lot of different moving pieces that come together very well in this sophomore effort.

The very first thing that you hear is the fact that the harsh and punishing black metal aspects are there and ever present. Hornwood Fell is blistering in their approach and forever relentless in their attack. But with the blazing hell fire comes a little bit of reprieve when they decide to dial it back a little bit in each song and take a more melodic and atmospheric approach.

During the majority of the songs on Yheri, Hornwood Fell slow it down and allow the clean vocals as well as melancholy guitar work to take over. Those atmospheric elements only last so long however as they pick it back up to burn you at the stake with their intense style of chaotic black metal.

Yheri whips around you in dizzying fashion with high energy slashing riffs, acrobatic drumming, smooth bass lines and even more intricate and slick guitar work when the songs break into the more atmospheric parts. Vocals transition between high pitched screeches and painfully depressing cleans.

Hornwood Fell does a great job of making you feel violated one moment with blissfully dark black metal and sullen and depressed the next with haunting cleans and melancholic breaks. Yheri is a great listen and supplies you with a lot of music and a lot to chew on with eight songs in the release and would be a good addition to any black metal collection.

Progressive metal is pretty polarizing, either you like it or you don’t there really isn’t an in between. Polarization is something that can be said for bands as well. Either you get a band that is trying entirely too hard to sound progressive or you get a band that just naturally sounds progressive. Australia natives Eritherium fall into that latter category, and with their new release Polar,Eritherium display great ability to create death metal and make it more accessible and approachable with the progressive elements that they instill throughout.

A lot of lengthy albums can make your mind wander as they trail off into a void of emptiness. That void of nothingness in progressive metal is something that you want to avoid of course. The average attention span of an adult is about five minutes and that may even be too generous, and with that being mentioned a band that does play lengthy songs needs something to hook a listener in and be memorable enough to have multiple listens.

With Polar you end up being engrossed with each song and following the path that they weave without questioning it. Eritherium is captivating and keeps you in a trance long enough for you to listen to the album in its entirety in one sitting without breaking your concentration.

Polar is a death metal album that is only approached from a different angle. Even though these Australian death dealers have some progressive tricks up their sleeves the death metal elements are never compromised.

Eritherium keep all of the death metal roars and gravely growls as well as keep the heavy bass but they work in smooth progressive elements as well to round the jagged death metal edges.

Even though the death is still there, it isn’t your traditional blast, grind, and eviscerate type of death. Instead of being that blunt force trauma type of band, Eritherium act as the cold hand of death that leads you down a dark abyssal corridor unto your timely demise.

Polar isn’t as brutish, but it still packs plenty of punch and can throttle your neck whenever they please. However, that is not something that they do. The stance they take and the music that flows through your speakers is more dream and trance like. Maybe the dreams aren’t exactly what you would like them to be as they are more than likely cold, dark, and shockingly isolating.

The trance like state that you end up slipping into is in large part brought to you by the slick guitar work that is equal parts light as well as doom bringing. The heavy riffage is supplemented by melancholy solos, mesmerizing drumming, and a thick and sweet like honey bass. The harsher elements are portrayed in the vocals which are throat numbing.

Overall the sweet kiss of death from this progressive band is sweeter when it is brought to you by layers upon layers of different sounds and slick musicianship. Polar is a listen that makes you fall deep into thought, just don’t fall too deep, we won’t come looking for you.

We Bleed Metal sounds exactly what it is meant to sound like. It is a cry for battle, it is metal anthem for metal. Through nine songs Chastain displays ripping and roaring traditional metal in the vein of Iron Maiden and Judas Priest. Chastain makes you realize that traditional metal is still very much alive and kicking and it’ll be dammed if it’s going to go away any time soon. We Bleed Metal is rooted firmly in the past but still has its eyes set on the future.

From the very beginning of the album there is no mistaking that you are in for a full throttle heavy metal ride. As soon as the opener We Bleed Metal begins you become strapped in the heavy metal roller coaster and no matter how much you scream and panic you will not be let off.

This album is for metal heads designed by metal heads and of course everything about this album oozes thick metallic blood. Chastain takes everything that you love in old school metal and crams it right down your gullet until your head explodes.

Throughout We Bleed Metal the songs are longer and with that time Chastain uses it to their full advantage. With the extended songs it gives Chastain the ability present more of a story to you and let it unfold before your eyes.Not only do the songs tell stories with a longer format, but they also have enough time to make certain that you snapped your neck from headbanging as hard as you possibly can.

All of that headbanging is induced by all of the savage riffage, bold bass lines, solid drumming and razor sharp and piercing vocals. Each song displays blazing riffs that are supplemented by even more flange flaying guitar solos. The musicianship on We Bleed Metal is tight, technical and each instrument is played at mach one.

That mach one speed is exactly the speed your head will be spinning once popping this CD in. At the end of the nine blistering tracks on We Bleed Metal I’ll be dammed if you still have a face. Chastain is calling everyone to battle to stand and fight for the right to headbang. So what are you waiting for, go on and sign up for the metal war!

Coming from a band that describes themselves as “schizophrenic black metal” that is exactly what you should be expecting, and that is exactly what Illness gives you. Trvmna is five songs of scalding black metal to the extreme. The style of black metal that Illness plays is suffocating and there is no room to breathe between the shovel loads of dirt that are ladled upon your casket. When done right black metal is already horrifying, but Illness try to push that envelope and become that monster that lurks in the shadows and stares you in the face whenever you close your eyes.

Save for brief nightmare inducing intros and samples used throughout the release, Trvmna (meaning coffin) is a searing piece of black metal. The schizophrenic aspect of the music jumps out at you immediately as the songs are blasting bomb shells and yet Illness tends to not always stick to the typical black metal formula all the time.

The aforementioned samples that are used throughout further supplement the bands cross burning onslaught. Not only are there chilling samples being used, but the synths that are cleverly injected into each song provide more than enough haunting atmospheres and bone chilling soundscapes.

Through the twenty-four minute run time, light begins to fade and the life begins to get sucked out of you. If there were soundtracks to nightmares or songs that induce nightmares, Illness has the black metal chops to do both, supply the feverish dreams and back them with an abyssal soundtrack.

Illness shows a great black metal prowess when combining both powerful and corpse exhuming black metal with the cold, skeletal symphonic elements. Illness works in screams of anguish and torture as you yourself are experiencing a mind piercing darkness.

From beginning to end all five songs are blazing sonic walls of blasphemy. Trvmna is packed to the corpse paint with poisonous riffs, skull shattering blasts, haunting atmospheres and screams of torment. Once all of those elements are combined you get Illness and their release Trvmna. There is no compromising and there are no fillers within Trvmna as everything is pure and suffocating in execution.

After one listen a cold dead hand reaches out to guide you to press play again and again. The deeper you get into the release, and the more listens that you pile up, the deeper you slip into a darkened dementia. Illness is darkened, sinister, evil and a visceral black metal onslaught.